Niner Nate-tion Podcast: How will the 49ers choose their QB

Now that the 49ers have a draft pick that will allow them to select their quarterback of the future, the focus of the Faithful now shifts to what criteria the team will use to actually make their selection. It’s something we and others have speculated on for months, and Kyle Shanahan himself was asked about it at the press conference earlier this week. Niner Nate and Leo Luna took their crack at it on today’s Niner Nate-tion Podcast, with some help from Jennifer Lee Chan.

“I think with all of them, no matter what, it’s got to be someone that’s got a high football IQ,” Lee Chan said, “I think it’s going to take those guys being on the white board, being able to do those pre-snap reads, that’s what’s going to make them attractive to Kyle Shanahan. Just running around and making plays on the fly because you have to, that’s not what Kyle Shanahan is looking for. Yes, he would like guys to be able to extend plays, but if you can’t do the other stuff on the line of scrimmage, reading the defense...if you can’t do that, that’s not what Kyle Shanahan’s looking for. He’s had that before. You’ve got to be the whole package.”

Clearly the quarterback selection process will be the dominant topic in 49ers-land for the next month. People are going to be looking for any clue they can find to try and get an idea of what San Francisco is thinking - and that includes the other teams in the draft.

For my money, I think Kyle knows who he likes by now, and really all he is doing is looking for a reason to change his mind. That could be negative information on the player he likes or positive information on someone he wasn’t totally sold on. Once you get to this point, and swing this deal, it’s hard for me to believe he’s still deciding who to take.

You can hear the whole conversation in today’s Niner Nate-tion Podcast, available here or anywhere else podcasts are served.

Other topics in today’s episode

• What message does this trade send to the rest of the team?
• Do the 49ers have a good enough relationship with Alabama to get info on Mac Jones?
• Should the Niners look to add another veteran slot receiver to the team?